With seasonally heavy rains promoting the growth of wild mushrooms, especially in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Karen Smith is reminding people that collecting and eating hazardous wild mushrooms can lead to serious illness and even death.
The fungi that adorn living and fallen trees, and lawns and forest floors may look exotic and beautiful, but they can cause serious illness, even death. Cooking mushrooms does not make them less poisonous. There are more than 1,000 varieties of mushrooms in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Hospitals in the Central Coast and across the state have reported a recent increase in hospitalizations from mushroom poisoning.
“It is difficult to distinguish between wild mushrooms that are poisonous and those which are safe to eat,” said Smith. “Wild mushrooms should not be eaten unless they have been carefully examined and determined to be edible by a mushroom expert.”
Wild mushroom poisoning continues to make people ill and send them to the hospital. State health officials reported 679 cases of poisonous mushroom ingestion were reported statewide from November 2015 to October 2016.
Among those cases: Three suffered a major health outcome, such as liver failure leading to coma and/or a liver transplant, or kidney failure requiring dialysis; 50 suffered a moderate health outcome, such as dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea, or injury to the liver or kidney; 348 were children under six years of age who ate a small amount of a mushrooms growing in yards or neighborhood parks; 415 were treated at a health care facility and eight were admitted to an intensive care unit.
The most serious illnesses and deaths have been linked primarily to wild mushrooms known to cause liver damage, including Amanita phalloides , also known as the “death cap” and Amanita ocreata (shown at left), or “destroying angel.” These and other poisonous mushrooms grow in some parts of California year-round, but are most commonly found during fall, late winter or spring.
Eating poisonous mushrooms can cause abdominal pain, cramping, vomiting, diarrhea, liver damage or death. Anyone who develops symptoms after eating wild mushrooms should seek immediate medical attention. People who develop these symptoms, or their treating health care providers, should immediately contact Poison Control at 800-222-1222.
